Dharma is elaborated in a variety
of forms known sometimes by the person who codified it (Manudharma),
sometimes by the group which followed it (Varnadharma), sometimes by the
stage of life to which it is applied (Grihasthadharma). But these are
subsidiary details, not the fundamental norm. [Ref:Sanathana Sarathi, Vol 30, Feb. 1987, 55]

All the four ashramas lead you to moksha or liberation if you follow
strictly the dharma as laid down for each and if you devote yourself
steadfastly to your uplift. Each ashrama is important to the particular
stage; the conduct of the individual, his practice, that is the essential
test. [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p46.]

Whatever be the ashrama, if the person follows the dharma laid down for
that stage and carries it out in practice and steadfastly yearns for
liberation, he can get it; there is no doubt. To win Atma Jnana, one need
not prefer this ashrama to that; all are capable of securing it. [Ref:Prashanthi Vahini, p43.]

When a person is beset by attachment to some and hatred towards
others even in the solitude of the jungle, he will meet only evil. Even if
one is leading the grihastha life in the midst of the family, if he has
achieved victory over the senses he is a real thapasvi. Engaged in karma
that is not condemned, he is entitled to become a Jnani. [Ref:Prashanthi Vahini, p46.]

Those who are ever active in the spiritual field, in whatever
ashramas they may be, whatever may be their caste, they attain the Lord.
[Ref: Dharma Vahini, p47.]

The varnas relate to the physical aspect of man; they cannot affect the
spiritual aspect at all. ... Of course, "physical" includes the intellect,
the mind, the chiththa, the antha karana, etc. Unless these are trained
and regulated, the Atma Dharma cannot be understood. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p46.]

The Atma is Sath, Chith and Ananda; those are its nature, if somehow it
has to be indicated. This can be realised only by purifying the heart,
mind and intellect of man. Persons who have that purity, whatever their
varna or ashrama, can attain moksha. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p46.]

The grihastha too attains moksha; only he must follow strictly the dharma
laid down for his ashrama. There is no doubt that every one, to whichever
ashrama he may belong, who adheres to the dharma of that ashrama, will
attain moksha. [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p46.]

Being married and living with the wife and children does not
constitute grihastha ashrama as most people think. Without giving up the
duties assigned to one's caste and status, the person has to treat all
with equal consideration - kinsmen as well as others. He must be aware of
the rights of the elders and the obligations of juniors; he has to be full
of sympathy and willingness to help; he should treat with loving kindness
all those who are dependent on him; he must grow wiser with each new
experience of the world; he should acquaint himself with the sastras and
be alert to do dharma and avoid adharma; he must foster and protect his
wife and children with a sense of responsibility; he has to trample down
the eight egoisms, the conceit that develops from family, wealth,
character, personal beauty, youth, scholarship, native place and even
accomplishments in austerity. Conscious of the four goals of dharma, artha,
kama and moksha, with no pride in material possessions though he might
have them in large measure; utilising a portion of the day in the service
of others; with no designs against any other household, himself deserving
the trust of his wife and having a trusted wife, each understanding the
other and having full faith in the other; such are the ways in which the
grihastha manifests. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p10.]

You must ... engage yourself in work that is purifying, with an
attitude that sanctifies. Most people do not know how to set about on this
most rewarding adventure. They waste their lives in sorrow, wading through
disappointment and despair, for they cling to something as theirs and
treat something else as belonging to others. They grab and grieve, and
labour to acquire and lose. Desire multiplies desire, and man sinks deeper
into discontent and distress. This behaviour is really artificial; it does
not conform to man's real nature, the prompting of his Atman, which
is divine. In the universal, eternal sea of change, the Atman alone is
above change. [Ref:Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol X, p40.]

If hindrances come, dedicate them too to the Lord, take them quietly
as His leela and as His plan; that is the way to follow the grihastha
discipline, the path for both men and women. [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p50.]

Love your wife and children and do your duty towards them as a
husband and a father. But always hold on to the true values. Do not lose
your sense of proportion. [Ref:Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol X, p216.]

Proceed on the path of Love, the path of God... Love will expand your
heart so much that you cannot escape from your duties to your kith and
kin. Remember always that wife, son, mother -- all kinship is basically
only physical, body-bound, time-limited. [Ref:Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol X, p216.]

When there is understanding and harmony in the family, peace will
spread to the community, and from there to the nation and the world.
Unity confers joy and peace. [Ref:Sanathana Sarathi, Vol 34, Jan. 1991, p4.]

For one who is unattached, the home is a hermitage. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p46.]

The home is the thapovana for attaining non-attachment. [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p49.]

If there is the will and strength to adhere strictly to dharma, if there
are no difficulties in acquiring jnana, one can, without entering sanyaasa
ashrama, remain as a householder and yet be liberated. [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p49.]

Moved by the desire to cross this ocean of samsara, the husband and
the wife must both have harmony of mind. The resolution to reach the goal
must be equally strong and steady in both. Otherwise sanyaasa is the
refuge! [Ref:Dharma Vahini, p50.]

All ashramas [are] dependent on the grihastha. It is he who provides food
and drink to the rest and fosters them. He promotes the study of the
Vedas; he guards the scriptures. So the grihastha ashrama is the most
important. ... The grihastha who strictly adheres to his ashrama dharma is
worthy of the greatest respect. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p43.]

He who earns money by lawful means, he who honours his guests, who
serves and pleases his fellowmen, attains liberation along with those
learned in the sastras and those who are well established in the
fundamental philosophy of the spirit. No one can cross the ocean of birth
and death because he is a sanyasi or brahmachari. High ancestry,
attainments in asceticism, the status of a monk, profound scholarship -
nothing will help, by itself. There must also be the faithful and steady
pursuit of swadharma, the study of the scriptures, like the Veda or the
Bhagavad Gita, and a disciplined spiritual life of japam and dhyanam. [Ref:Prashanti Vahini, p44.]